Louise Antoinette Lannes, Duchess of Montebello 

Pierre-Paul Prud’hon painted this portrait of Louise Antoinette Lannes, Duchess of Montebello, sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century. Prud’hon was known as one of the favorite painters of Josephine Bonaparte, Napoleon’s first wife, which makes him an interesting case study in the politics of imagery. His career reflects the political turbulence of the late 18th and early 19th centuries in France. Having come of age as an artist before the French Revolution, he adapted to the changing social and political conditions of the Napoleonic era, and was prized for his elegant portraits of the elites. Portraits like this one are valuable sources of information for historians. We can learn about the fashions and social customs of the time, but also, by consulting letters, diaries, and other primary sources, we can better understand the role of art and artists in French society at the time.